Does the work environment contribute to excess male mortality ?

It is sometimes assumed that male jobs are on average more unhealthy than female jobs.

The aim of the present study is to examine whether work-related factors contribute to excess male mortality.

All Swedish deaths during 1970-80 and 1980-86 were analysed with Poisson regressions-for all individuals and for labour force participants-in order to estimate gender mortality rate ratios for all causes, circulatory diseases and external causes.

Results for all men and women, as well as results restricted to those in full-time employment, revealed that no work-related factors contribute to excess male mortality.

For the period 1980-86, a more detailed analysis was performed, and work environment exposures were aggregated from a secondary data source.

In accordance with previous studies, it was found that men experience unhealthier physical work environments than women and that women experience unhealthier psychosocial work environments than men.

Among labour force participants, men's greater exposure to hazardous work contributed to men's excess of external causes of death.